The Battle Between the Gods

God will bill you will go to Pharaoh and as he goes. He is probably unaware of the fact that the first place will hit his own home claim in the bed and he will touch clammy from heat and plop one of these cookers will land in his bowl will relieve obedience to God made his life more miserable terms of comfort. I think sometimes ladies and you and I have the idea that we simply obey God.

All lights way down when Pharaoh fly with God's command. Letting people go God responded.

He brought about his judgment on Pharaoh in Egypt. We refer to that judgment as the 10 plagues the nation of Israel was affected by many of them as well.

Moses was obedient to God, but that obedience came at a cost. This is wisdom for the heart with Stephen Devi were looking at this account from the book of Exodus today, God begins to judge the hard hearted Pharaoh in today's passage Stephen Devi called this lesson the battle between the gods. Let's join Stephen right now turn to Exodus where we continue our studies the life of Moses comes to a showdown between the God we know is Yahweh and the gods of Egypt. Exodus chapter 7 is where our story continues where he left off last time and Exodus chapter 7 and the Lord said to Moses, see I make. He was God to Pharaoh and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land, but I will harden Pharaoh's heart we could stop there and preach a sermon on all of the thoughts and ideas related to the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. I think it can be best explained by a simple understanding of the meaning of that Hebrew word. The Hebrew word means to twist to literally ring out what God is going to do is bring Pharaoh to a place where he will ring out of Pharaoh's heart what is already in their chapter 10 verse three God says to Moses, will get there just a second. He says for the heart of Pharaoh is very stubborn so I will ring it out. That is, I will bring out of his heart. What is residing there is a stubborn pride. He says I will multiply. Verse three my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt when Pharaoh will not listen to you that I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring out my host my people, the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt by grade judgments and the Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh. I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst. So Moses and Aaron did it as the Lord commanded them, thus they did and Moses was 80 years old and Aaron 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh now know what happens. The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron say when Pharaoh speaks to you saying work a miracle or private prove this, Yahweh of the slaves is literally the Yahweh of the heavens, and you say nowhere and take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh that it may become a servant. Interesting that the word is tiny. It's not the same word used earlier this literally means crocodile as we know the servants of the Nile God was the crocodile. There's a thought in many expositors believe that what happened was that that the staff became literally a crocodile know what happens Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh verse 10 and they did just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron through his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants and became attending became a crocodile, then Pharaoh called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts. Their sleight-of-hand perhaps their demon energized activity for each one threw down his staff and they turned into tiny crocodile, but Aaron staff swallowed up their staffs. Perhaps there in the Florida court room or are Pharaoh's court was it was a deadly battle between these crocodiles and finally the one that had come from the staff of Aaron was victorious. I wish I could've been there to see that yet Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said plague number one.

And I want to give you as we cover these plagues, the God of Egypt that is confounded. It's interesting as we discover so much from Egypt's history as the archaeologist un-uncovered so many things from that ancient land we've discovered that each of these, though, the text does not tell us actually confound one of Egypt's key God. God has specifically chosen 10 plagues to confound the Egyptian to prove that he is the God of God is the King of King and he is also done this so that Pharaoh's heart will be running out in rebellion, that God may judge him and the people let go. The first is the Nile being turned to blood. The Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is stubborn.

He refuses to let the people go.

Verse 19 say nowhere and take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt the Nile over the rivers and over the streams which feed from the Nile, and over their pools, and over all the reservoirs of water that they may become blood and there shall be blood throughout all of the land, both in vessels of wooden and vessels of stone that the liberal critics would say that there was simply that the explosion of some type of algae known in the land of Egypt was red so that somehow I do sleight-of-hand. The waters turned blood red. There is no way around the literal interpretation of this passage that the water came blood and all of the reservoirs and not only that, but water that they get stored up and toss in jars that instantly was also turned to blood, hoping perhaps that Pharaoh would respond. Moses comes back in Pharaoh's heart is hardened. Verse 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house with no concern for this so all of the Egyptians had to dig around the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile in seven days past the key God that is confounded by this plague is the God who serious this was the God represented by the symbol in the triangle of the all seeing God you pull out a dollar bill, you will see the same Egyptian symbol on our currency. It is a symbol taken from the paganism of Egypt that represents the key God.

One of the key gods of Egypt, meaning he is he is all seeing he is all-powerful.

Supposedly Osier is had the ability to turn death into life. And yet because of this plague.

Life is turned into death. All of the fish inhabiting animals of that waterway were killed. The second frogs came upon the land to irritate the Egyptians verse two says in chapter 8 that God said he would smite the whole territory with frogs that the Egyptians had another key God called God HD KA echo was known as the God order from God. It was actually a goddess whose body was shaped like a woman and yet his head was shaped and fashioned like a frog not a very attractive God and other frogs although they were considered unclean, were revered. This was the goddess of fertility. She was supposedly the one that would aid women in childbirth. It's interesting, the text will tell us that the Egyptian magicians also counterfeit this miracle. They also with sleight-of-hand or with perhaps demonic energy also reproduce in the courtroom before Pharaoh frogs.

So not only does God inundate the land with frogs, but the Egyptian magicians create a few more.

Perhaps frogs or with sleight-of-hand pull them out of the hat or from behind the curtain. We don't know. And I also think it's very ironic from studying all that we know of Egypt. This God of course was revered and you were not allowed to even brush one aside, you can kill them. So here is the land and the text tells us that they get. Look at verse three.

The Nile will swarm with frogs and they will come up and go into your house letting Moses is enjoying writing this part and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and on your people and into your ovens and in your netting bowls so the frogs will come upon you and your people get the picture. The land is swarming with rocks wrong is in the netting bowl is a woman is making bread and she cannot scurry long she can brush it aside because this is a God. This is a representative of the goddess of fertility, they climb into bed and they put their feet under the sheets and they hear a croak. And I feel something clammy.

The frog jumps and they did to. But you have to change you can't that function to sleep in your bed. I can imagine just the irritation there's no pain involved just the just the awful irritation of these little things croaking all over Egypt. I imagine that Moses is credibility with the Israelites is decreasing. With every croak as well.

I'm sure that he would tell the people locked God is going to move in the heart of Pharaoh and is going to take the land with frogs now up to this point, the Israelites are also being played.

It isn't until after the third will these plagues ceased to affect the Israelites. I think because they had also perhaps turned to the idolatry. Perhaps they were impressed with the gods of Egypt would God allow them to also suffer now. The third comes along and there is a change in that is going to your notes. The text lice infesting the land in the Translated perhaps insect in your text. Verse 16 of chapter 8 begins the story and to God is the God again GEP this is the earth.

God is the God that is supposedly blessing them with his presence is earth. The dust of the earth is a blessing to the Egyptians. It is from this ground that comes nutrition and and fruit and and fiber all of those things that help the Egyptians to live but now because of this plague. Note what happened for 16 then the Lord said to Moses, Saito, wherein stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth strike gab the earth. God didn't become gnats or insects.

I believe translated lice throughout all of the land of Egypt, and they did so and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and he struck the dust of the earth and there were lights on, man and beast. All the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. This according to the Egyptologist was that little insect that would burrow into the ears and the nostrils of both human and animal and bite. It was a tremendously irritating thing and they literally swarmed.

They were so numerous that they are referred to as coming from the dust of the earth. You would think by now they had had enough. In fact, verse 19. The magician said that Pharaoh is the finger of God because they in verse 18 tried by secret art to bring forth the same, and they could not. They had counterfeited the first two and they were affecting also the Israelite now the third. They cannot counterfeit. They cannot create the illusion. Perhaps that they also have this power. And because of that they throw up their hands to Pharaoh and they say lot. This is the finger of Yahweh. This is done by someone more powerful than way and they toss it. They back and say well were thrown we can do anything more.

This is a more powerful God and hours, but Pharaoh's heart. Verse 19 was hardened and he did not listen to them as the Lord and said the next plague would be. Then the plague of Beatles, the plague of beetles or flies. And this is a difficult one to translate because Hebrew word could be used in a number of different ways but most would agree that it could be referring to either the fly or beetle the God of the flies and I'll just take both of them and tell you how God would confound their gods, the God of the flies. According to the Egyptians was Beelzebub, a term referring to Satan but back in that they Beelzebub was the flying God literally than the dog fly.

It was the fly that bit. It was the large fly that they feared, as it does they went about biting in and plaguing them and Beelzebub was supposedly the protector against this particular kind of fly.

It was by worshiping him that Egypt would never be invaded by this fly.

This test is so what happens they come in, swarmed if he is referring to the God of the Beatles. This is perhaps even more fascinating that God is Our K EPA RAH Takara and the beetle or the scarab was something that they worshiped.

In fact, it was representing eternal life, and this beetle would be found in Egyptian tombs and encased in gold, it would be found in silver and and they obviously thought so much of this God that they would make idols that literally covered the land will God gives them what they want the covers the land with this insect. Now the new aspect here is that Goshen where the Israelites are living is unaffected like a chapter 8 verse 22. But on that day that is of this plague. I will set apart the land of Goshen where my people are living so that no swarms of insects will be there in order that you may know that I the Lord and in the midst of the land and I will put a division between my people and your people and tomorrow. The sign shall occur. So in other words, if you're still wondering Israel if I am the God behind these first three plagues are two plagues. Now you'll know because it will affect all the land but there is a divine protection about your place of inhabitation. It will no longer touch you. You are my people.

Chapter 9 but with me verse one then the Lord said to Moses, go to Pharaoh's to him thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, let my people go, that they may serve me for. If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them behold the land of the hand of Yahweh will come with a very severe pestilence, or we could translate that epidemic on your livestock, which are in the field on the horses and the donkeys and the camels and the herds and on the flocks verse six so the Lord did this thing on the morrow, and all the livestock of Egypt died but of the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died. They say that the second largest Temple in Egypt was dedicated to the black bowl Apus was he who they worshiped.

And he was considered a very powerful God, and by worshiping the black bowl. Their cattle would be preserved and protected. So God in a sense strikes a blow at their God. The black bowl. In fact, you could translate the word plague, stroke, or blow.

These are nine blows leveled at the feet of the false gods of Egypt, Pantheon, and Yahweh will come out on top verse or the sixth one. The sixth plague is the one of boils, and this must've been most irritating boils breaking out on man and beast. I believe this is an attack on the entire religious system because in that day to worship or to serve as a priest in the temple you could not have a blemish if the mail was blemished or had a mole or a marker anything on his body.

He could not be a priest and also they would constantly look after their sacred goats and their sacred balls and they would make sure that they also were were without blemish. They had any, they would not worship them and they would take their particular unblemished sacred goat or bull there in the temples and these unblemished males would reverently wash them and lead the people in worship, but now imagine a sign posted on the temple door closed because of boils all the priests were blemished all of the cattle were blemished. They all had severe boils Boyle here refers to that which would leave a scar. It's also ironic that in the day we learn the Egyptian priests would scatter her ashes from the furnace where they would have sacrifices and by scattering the ashes into the air. The check or the spread of evil would be stopped or checked. I want you to notice how this plague begins chapter 9 verse 10 is back of the verse eight and the Lord said to Moses and Aaron take for yourself. Handfuls of sorts from a kiln that is take the ashes from one of their authors and let Moses throwing toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh and it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will become boils breaking out with sores on man and beast. Throughout all of the land of Egypt, and so they took sick from a kiln and stood before Pharaoh and Moses threw it toward the sky and it became boils breaking out with sores on man and beast. Is this what you believe will check the spread of evil.

God says take a handful of that Prez or preserving action.

I want you to throw it into the sky and immediately boils broke out on mankind beast. God is obviously having a say in yet through all of this the hard Pharaoh was hardened and he refuses to hear. He refuses to let the people go plague number seven hailstorm will devastate the land in chapter 9. This is a confounding or a blow against the God of justice. IS I S literally the sky goddess, the one who would protect them by bringing rain when it was supposed to rain the God who would protect them from the hail or the lightning or whatever may come from above. This goddess overlook them with a canopy of protection yet. The Scriptures tell us that this is a storm that Egypt had never seen, and has never seen since verse 23 of chapter 9. Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky and the Lord sent thunder and hail and fire ran down to the earth, perhaps a reference to lightning and of the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt and there was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since he became a nation and the hail struck all that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, both man and beast.

The hail also struck every plant of the field and note this and shattered every tree of the field fact in verse 27 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said to them, I send this time the Lord is the righteous one and I and my people are the wicked ones make supplication to the Lord, for there is been enough of God's thunder and hail and I will let you go and you shall stay no longer want you to notices insincere response because as soon as the plague is gone. Verse 34 when Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and a thundering ceased to descend again and hardened his heart. He and the servants let's move on to the eighth locusts will ravage the crops of Egypt. I think all of the insect gods are taken on here and confounded as the locusts come. Verse three of chapter 10 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews.

How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me let my people go, that they may serve me for. If you refuse to let my people go. Tomorrow I will bring locusts and just the sound of that word would send terror and fear into the hearts of all of the Egyptians for the dreaded and feared the locusts the locusts would come and eat all of the remaining crops and literally threaten their very existence.

But get Pharaoh continues to be stubborn. That brings me to the ninth plague and that is a confounding of the God Ray are a in this is the crowning insult for Pharaoh. This is something that is literally leveled at his very feet. Because darkness in chapter 10 verse 24 will come over the land. Well, verse 21 and the Lord said to Moses, stretch out your hand toward the sky that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness may be felt. You think Pharaoh you are a God who you think you are the embodiment of the sun God Ray God will cover the sun with the palm of his hand, if it were in darkness will rain on the land but get in Goshen like a beam of light.

It's like daytime but in the land of Egypt.

It is dark. I want to give you two lessons that I have learned from studying the life of this very stubborn and rebellious man first. I really believe from observing him that stubbornness deafen you to the word of God.

It's interesting that every time Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh.

They began with the says the Lord. Yet because of the stubbornness of his heart.

He was deaf to the word of God, and I think pride. Secondly, blinds and individual to the work of God. Chapter 10 verse three is the key verse Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, thus says the Lord God of Hebrews. How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me.

That's the key point, not the problem of Pharaoh is he is deity in his own eyes.

He is caught up with himself and because he sees only himself.

He cannot observe the work of God. Interesting. Throughout history, I imagine if we could see from God's vantage point. Every once in a while he pulls back the curtain on his judgment on mankind, who by stubbornness and pride raise their fist in the face of yellow I think of alterity atheist who said you have seen what one little Jew did for the cause of Christianity. Now I will show you what one little Frenchman will do to destroy Christianity.

But what is really more ironic to me, ladies and gentlemen is that his very home from which he printed all of these articles is now being used by the Geneva Bible renting society to publish Scriptures.

I don't intend to be so dramatic as to make you fear shaking your fist in the face of Yahweh but ladies and gentlemen. Whether you are judged now or later if you have refused by stubbornness and pride to acknowledge the word of God that says now is the day of salvation that says my son is the light of the world. He is the giver of life. He is sovereign. I fear for any who reject Christ, who likes Pharaoh's steal their hearts. I trusted God even now works in your heart if you're an unbeliever and you enjoy the joy of surrender.

Two things from the life of Moses first obeying God may not bring expected relief. Think of it. Okay, got all obey you all go to Pharaoh and as he goes. He is probably unaware of the fact that the first place will hit his own home claim in the bed and he will touch a clammy frog will sit on the eat and plopped one of these clickers will land in his bowl. No relief. Obedience to God made his life more miserable in terms of comfort. I think sometimes ladies and him and you and I have the idea that we simply obey God. All rights, waves, smooth out. Secondly, serving God may not bring immediate results. Perhaps you have shared Christ with a family member or a neighbor or someone you work with, and you're frustrated because they seem to lean toward the gospel, but then on another occasion you know there's so far away and you think God no results. Why do I bother why the agony why the burgeoning they don't seem to hear. I want you to understand ladies and gentlemen that the basic underlying motivation.

The foundation upon which Moses obeys God and speaks for him is not resolved. It is to glorify God. It is to honor God. The reason that I live my life like I do. The reason that I share Jesus Christ is not necessarily so I can jot down all of the results. There is an underlying motivation in your life as you serve and it is to glorify and honor him. We want to see people come to Christ.

We want to see those trust him. We want to see change, but ultimately the underlying motivation when I get out of bed in the morning when you get out of bed to face this world is gone today that I may honor and glorify you. Now with that motivation men and women, regardless of what happens you and I'll stay. I wonder this morning as we look into the mirror of Scripture who represents us best Pharaoh with his stubbornness and his pride or Moses surrender his OB to God that was Stephen Devi in a lesson called the battle between the gods sheer unwisdom for the hearts in addition to equipping you with these daily Bible lessons. We also have a magazine that we publish. Stephen deals with a different topic every month he helps you better understand what the Bible says and how it applies directly to your life. For example, some past topics included such things as how to forge friendships. A biblical look at Islam.

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